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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football To Host Arkansas State This Saturday
10/2/2000 | Football
Oct. 2, 2000
OXFORD, Miss. - After consecutive Southeastern Conference wins over Vanderbilt and Kentucky, the Ole Miss Rebel football squad will step outside the conference this Saturday to take on Arkansas State at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field. The game, which is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. (CT) start, will not be televised.
Although Arkansas State is off to a 0-5 start, Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe expects a battle from a hungry Indian team Saturday.
"We've got a challenging game with Arkansas State, which has had some rough luck to this point in the season," said Cutcliffe. "We fought hard to beat them last year. They have got outstanding talent. They are a team that competes and plays hard."
Last year, Ole Miss (3-1, 2-1 SEC) posted a 38-14 win over the Indians in Oxford, but had to come back from two first-quarter deficits in the contest. Arkansas State quarterback Cleo Lemon passed for 309 yards and two touchdowns-including a 75-yard scoring strike on the game's first play-in the loss. Joe Gunn and Romaro Miller paced the offensive attack in last year's victory. Gunn rushed for a career-high 155 yards, while Miller passed for 253 yards and three touchdowns.
The Rebels enter this Saturday's Arkansas State game after an inspired defensive performance in their 35-17 victory over Kentucky last Saturday. The Ole Miss defense held the SEC's top offensive team to only 231 yards of total offense, including 192 yards through the air. Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen's 192 yards passing was his lowest output of the season.
"Our defense certainly set the tempo early with the sacks and turnovers," said Cutcliffe, referring to last Saturday's win over Kentucky. "What pleased me the most was that we continued our intense play for four quarters. We hadn't seen that kind of consistency until last Saturday. Now, our challenge is to build and improve on that."
The Rebel defense had five quarterback sacks for 43 yards and three interceptions, while also holding the Wildcat ground game to only 39 yards. Senior defensive end Derrick Burgess led the way with seven tackles, 2.5 sacks and his first career interception. Anthony Magee and Justin Coleman also recorded an interception in the win.
Offensively, Miller led the Rebels through the air, completing 15 of his 25 pass attempts for 238 yards and two touchdowns, the 30th and 31st of his career. The two scoring tosses tied him with Archie Manning, Kent Austin and Mark Young for the top spot on the Rebel career touchdown passes chart. Senior running back Deuce McAllister, a Heisman Trophy candidate, gained 135 all-purpose yards on 22 touches versus Kentucky.
"Deuce was a little sick yesterday (Sunday), but he came through the game well," Cutcliffe said. "I thought he did a tremendous job of pushing himself through this, and I think he'll be better this week."
The Rebels will meet an Indian squad that has suffered three of its five setbacks by seven points or less. Lemon leads the offense, which is averaging 294.4 yards and 17 points per game. Through the air, Lemon has passed for 855 yards and four touchdowns in the Indians' first five games. Junior running back James Hickenbotham paces the ground attack with 431 yards on 99 carries. The Indian defense is yielding an average of 444.8 yards and 36.8 points per contest.
It was also announded Monday that the Ole Miss-Alabama game will be televised by ESPN. Game time for the Oct. 14 contest is 6:00 p.m. (CT) in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
